Top 5 (Obvious Examples Excluded) Strikeforce vs. UFC Fights

No matter what your favorite promotion is, it’s fun to play “armchair booker” once in a while and try to envision a fantasy card that brings all of your favorite fighters from competing promotions under one roof to truly determine who the best in the world is. The UFC did just that, for the most part, when they bought out the legendary PRIDE FC promotion in 2007. But with the arrival and rise of the Strikeforce promotion, fans are once again creating fantasy match-ups. To differentiate myself, today’s list will feature five matches between Strikeforce and the UFC that specifically does not include any of the obvious choices, like Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar or Cung Le vs. Anderson Silva. While they’re fun debates to have, they’ve been discussed for quite a while now. With this list, I’m going for a little something different. Some picks may surprise you, but here are my top five (obvious examples excluded) Strikeforce vs. UFC fights.

5. Marius Zaromskis vs. Dan Hardy

It’s a shame that people have mostly forgotten about Marius Zaromskis, since I became a huge fan of his due to his destruction of several people in the Japanese-based DREAM. Zaromskis hasn’t been heard of since he was TKO’d at the hands of Evangelista Santos, but he’s still a very tough fighter with incredibly powerful high kicks. Against Dan Hardy he’d face another strong-willed power-striker, and this one would likely see both men absorb a lot of damage before somebody gets knocked out.

4. Ronaldo Souza vs. Chael Sonnen

Now this is a fight that fans can really sink their teeth into. Souza fights out of the same camp as UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, so you have a guaranteed rivalry right there. Both men have good-but-not-great striking, but since they’re evenly matched, it would be pretty entertaining to see them trade blows. If it goes to the ground, Souza is nicknamed “Jacare” (Alligator) for a reason, while Chael Sonnen’s ability to dominate on the ground needs no introduction, based on his near-total shutout of Anderson Silva at UFC 117. It would simply be a highly, highly competitive match.

3. Shinya Aoki vs. George Sotiropoulos

This one would have to take place in Japan, though, so both men could utilize their magic submission pants. There’s no doubt that George would have the advantage striking, since Aoki’s stand-up has always been atrocious. But if/when it goes to the ground, this has the potential to be one of the most entertaining ground battles in years.

2. Junior dos Santos vs. Antonio Silva

It’s the technical striking of JDS going up against the power of “Bigfoot”, and I think both men would turn in a great performance. Antonio Silva wants to be taken seriously so badly that I think he would show up in great shape and with a great gameplan for this fight, while Junior Dos Santos has quickly become the best pure striker in the Heavyweight division of MMA as a whole, not just the UFC. Someone is going to sleep in this fight, and it would be quite a spectacle to see the super-fast and super-slick JDS trying to cope with Silva’s massive frame, long reach, and serious punching power.

And the #1 spot goes to…

1. Muhammed Lawal vs. Rashad Evans

Both men have awesome wrestling skills, with striking that is good for the most part and great on occasion. As talented as both men are on the ground, I have a feeling that their impressive wrestling backgrounds would basically cancel each other out and force this into a stand-up brawl. Both Lawal and Evans have a lot of power in their hands, and I can see this one getting quite vicious before all is said and done. And if someone does get an advantage on the ground, look for some very harsh Ground and Pound. It’s not a traditional choice by any stretch of the imagination, but I would love to see this fight.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Other than the obvious, what are some UFC vs. Strikeforce fights you’d like to see?